“Why do you boast of evil, O mighty man? The steadfast love of God endures all the day. Your tongue plots destruction, like a sharp razor, you worker of deceit. You love evil more than good and falsehood rather than speaking truth. Selah.” Psalm 52:1-3

Selah, indeed.

If we are “being real” here, if we are being authentic, if we are being truthful, honest about the dark and the light strands, then what about those who have hurt us? Can we be honest about that?

What about that person with a razor-sharp tongue who loves every harmful word? The bully, the sibling, the parent who cuts me deep and leaves a wake of destruction in their path… Maybe it’s worse than words. Maybe your body was damaged…. Maybe someone lost their life.

In Psalm 52, David was grieving the death of his friends who were killed for sheltering him. He had been through some stuff.

We have been through some stuff too, but we are told that we shouldn’t be angry with those who have harmed us. We should forgive.

I agree, we should forgive, but are we allowed to feel the sense of injustice? Are we allowed to “call a spade a spade?” Are we permitted to lament and grieve? Can we ask God to avenge us? Can we cry out to the LORD on his holy hill? Are we allowed to expose the fruitless deeds of darkness?

“Arise, O LORD! Save me, O my God! strike all my enemies on the cheek; break the teeth of the wicked.” Psalm 3:7

Too often those of us who were abused are told to forget about it, forgive, focus on the positive things… People want to rush us through the grief. They don’t do it to save us from suffering. They do it because they are uncomfortable and frankly, don’t know what to do. They want to get past the awkward moments and get back to sunshine and rainbows.

TRYING THEIR BEST

We are told our abuser was just trying their best. Please consider that may not be true. Consider this:

“I know it’s reassuring to believe that people are just trying their best. Given their circumstances, their past experiences, given everything they’re going through: people in their heart of hearts are really just doing their best. So have some compassion. Have some empathy.

But the reality is: that’s true for a lot of people but for some people they’re not trying their best. They chose something harmful. They chose something evil. They chose to be malicious, and they knew what they were doing. They weren’t trying their best.” ~ Mathias Barker, Psychotherapist

TO LOVE EVIL RATHER THAN GOOD AND LIES RATHER THAN TRUTH

I’m a good southern girl. I am good at making excuses for people. I’m good at overlooking the infractions to my soul. I can forgive them… I can’t be angry at anyone… I’ve done bad things to… Ya know, he who is without sin and all that…

“Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.” This keeps echoing in my brain. I keep chewing on it..

What does “expose them” mean? Is this about my sin? Is it about iniquity? Is it about “fruit inspecting” and examining those around me for sin and exposing them?

We should be careful here. I’m not implying you should be judge and jury for your friends and family. Nor am I implying you should air all your dirty laundry on Facebook God does not often ask us to confront others in their sin. We, also, should be careful not to throw pearls before swine. In this moment I’m only asking us to tend to our own heart- our own darkness. Sometimes that requires us to bring certain things into the light. This may require we look at the actions of those who loved evil rather than good.

Mathias Barker goes on to explain, “There is a context to where behaviors happen. There are things that lead up to people choosing to cope in certain ways. But actually, the healing, the redemption for someone who has acted that way isn’t in excusing the behavior. It’s realizing that you have the capacity to bring life in the same measure that you have the capacity to bring death or harm.

So be careful, be careful when you’re offering that reassurance, be mindful. Sometimes people’s victims are listening.”

MINDSET

What would I say if I could confront those who hurt me?

You loved evil more than good….

I was innocent. I genuinely trusted in the Lord. Even when I was blamed. Even when I was told I must have done something to bring this evil on myself. Even when I believed I was to blame… I was still innocent.

“Vindicate me, O LORD, for I have walked in my integrity, and I have trusted in the LORD without wavering.” Psalm 26:1

I don’t know if God will vindicate me. I do know that we all will be confronted someday. I know that God will confront us all for what we have done. I believe some people are trying their best given their circumstances. I also believe some people are not trying their best. Some people love evil more than good.

MEDITATIONS

“Great is the Lord, and most worthy of praise, in the city of our God, his holy mountain.  God is in her citadels; he has shown himself to be her fortress. As we have heard, so we have seen in the city of the Lord Almighty, in the city of our God: God makes her secure forever. Selah

Within your temple, O God, we meditate on your unfailing love.” Psalm 48:1, 3, 8-9

I can’t look at the injustice… the falsehood… the darkness without remembering that God is my stronghold, my fortress… I don’t meditate on those who loved evil, rather I meditate on God’s unfailing love. When the darkness is exposed to the light, it loses its power and all that is left is God’s love.

For injustice, justice.

For lies, truth.

For hurt, healing.

For brokenness, wholeness.

For hate, love.

For dysfunction, health.

For exposure, covering.

For fear, safety.

After David wrote, “You love evil rather than good,” he wrote, “But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God’s unfailing love for ever and ever.” Psalm 52:8

I am be surrounded by darkness and evil, but I still flourish. The grays and blacks cannot swallow up the growth, the olive green. I am like an olive tree flourishing right here where I am planted.

WEEKLY BIBLE MEDITATION

1. Psalms 52 – Psalms 52:3 “You love evil rather than good, falsehood rather than speaking the truth.”
2. Psalms 26 – Psalms 26:1 “Vindicate me, Lord, for I have led a blameless life; I have trusted in the Lord and have not faltered.”
3. Psalms 3 – Psalms 3:7-8a “Arise, Lord! Deliver me, my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked. From the Lord comes deliverance.”
4. Psalms 17 – Psalms 17:13 “Rise up, Lord, confront them, bring them down; with your sword rescue me from the wicked.”
5. Psalms 48 – Psalms 48:9b “We meditate on your unfailing love.”